Without the Kisses
by 157yrs
Summary: Based on Blue Birds Illusions. A year after Edward vanishes, a new homunculus makes his appearance bearing a striking resemblance to the Full Metal Alchemist. Dark and disturbing !EdPridexWinry and some EnvyxWinry *old post*
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

**Prologue**

Winry hit the wall roughly before sliding down into a crumpled position on the floor. Her breaths were coming out in short painful pants. Her body was working on the remnants of adrenaline and it felt as if her lungs would give out. She started to whimper but quickly shut up when she heard footsteps. Winry looked up just in time to catch sight of him standing in front of her. Her breath caught in her throat at what she saw.

'Oh, he looks just like Ed…No, No, No! Stop thinking like that; it's not him! He's not your best friend! Best friends don't do what he did to me. Ed would never-' Her thoughts were interrupted by the homunculus's cold voice.

"If you run now, I won't stop you…" He gestured to the open door. Winry looked up and noticed that the door was still open, but she hesitated clearly confused.

'Why is he letting me go? This has got to be a trick.' Winry quickly stood up and started to look around the room, desperately searching for another way out, but the room had no windows and he was standing too close to the door. She guessed that they were in an abandoned study, with old bookcases along the walls and a wooden table in shreds with papers and books scattered on the floor. What could she possibly use to defend herself against a homunculus?

After a few minutes, Pride took her silence as a refusal. He reached over and slammed the door shut, the sound echoing throughout the small room. Winry, who had been caught up in her thoughts, jumped at the noise. She started to slide along the right side of the wall and towards the window, desperately trying to put some distance between herself and the homunculus, as he slowly advanced. Winry still refused to call the abomination 'Ed.' Though he looked exactly like him, Winry knew that it wasn't him, and she wasn't about to call him Pride.

'Despite all he's done to me, I don't have the heart to call him that. He looks too much like Ed!'

"You know, I once thought you hated me. But your refusal to leave, leads me to the conclusion that you want this." His cold empty eyes seemed to contradict the smirk he now had on his face. Winry shook her head frantically, trying to deny it, hoping that she could convince herself of the lie.

Knowing that she didn't stand a chance, Winry once again looked around the dark room, this time hoping for an object to protect her with. The bookcases were large and would probably crush anyone that was unfortunate enough to be under them, but she doubted her ability to topple them over. There was a lamp in the far corner of the room that stood on a long stand and looked promising, but Winry knew that she would be caught before she made it that far. The books on the shelves were old and harmless. Perhaps she could throw them... Then the shredded table caught her attention. There was a long, thin, jagged piece of wood that had been broken off from the table's leg. It was as long as her forearm.

Pride took his time reaching the girl, relishing in her fear. After a few torturous moments, he grabbed a hold of a wild strand of her hair. He flexed the golden locks between his fingers, enjoying the feeling of it against his skin.

"You know-" His words were interrupted when Winry broke out of his hold and made a wild dash for the piece of wood. The table was in the center of the room, but her fear made it seem as of it were so far away. Coming upon the broken mess, her eyes found the desired object and she quickly snatched it up in her trembling hands.

Pride came right behind her fully intent on punishing her for her small defiance, but before he could grab her again, she spun around stabbed him in the arm with her makeshift weapon. Pride let out a hiss in response and staggered back, clenching his arm, but not before he had backhanded Winry and sent her sprawling onto the floor. Before she could regain her composure, Pride came up again and grabbed a handful of hair and forcefully pulled her into a standing position. She whimpered as Pride slammed her against the wall and pinned her there with his body pressing hard against her. Winry shivered as his breath tickled her ear while he whispered, "That was a dirty trick, wench. I think I should teach you some manners..." He chuckled to himself when Winry started to cry and shrink back farther into the wall.

However, his laughter was cut short when he heard footsteps outside the door. He stilled immediately, but frowned when the girl in his arms continued to weep. Not wanting to draw any attention from the outside, he bent down and bit her in the shoulder to stop her crying; it worked. She quieted immediately while Pride brought her closer to him in a protective stance, resting his chin on her head. Pride knew that neither of them could afford to be caught now. Envy already suspected him of mutiny, and he was sure that the girl would be killed if she was found with him. Or worse yet, be used as leverage against him.

While he was thinking, Winry started to tremble in his arms at the sound of the footsteps coming closer. The poor girl seemed numb and unaware of her surroundings, that she had no idea that the two of them were in immediate danger. Pride responded by holding her tighter. He thought about turning out the dim lamp in the corner of the room, but decided against it as the sound of footsteps stopped outside the door. He held his breath. After a moment of silence, the footsteps started up again and died off in the near distance.

Sighing, Pride loosened his hold on the girl who had gone deathly slack in his arms. Hiding his concern, he removed his chin from her head and sank his nails into the back of her neck and enjoyed the color of blood as it leaked across her pale complexion. He relaxed when he heard her yelp out in pain and jump in his arms. She started to struggle, but stopped when she met his gold angry eyes. Then he slapped her. Standing stunned she heard him growl,

"Fight me, and face the consequences." Winry shivered again, recognizing the threat in his voice, not to mention the danger. Seeing her cease her struggles, Pride took advantage of her state by ripping her skirt and blouse off in one fluid motion, exposing her laced bra and matching panties. Neither one of them noticed the sound of a slow trod as the footsteps once again made their way down the hallway.

Grabbing her roughly, he nearly brought her to her knees when he leaned over her. When he rested his hands on her hips, his thumbs slid onto the inside rim of her panties. She knew that in his perverse, twisted mind he was intent on having his way with her. He stopped short when he heard a huge bang and looked over to the other side of the room. His eyes widened.

The door had been opened...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A special thanks to chelsea-chee**** for stepping up to beta read this story!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

Twenty-one year old Winry Rockbell swallowed nervously as she entered the train. When the ticket man went by and accidentally brushed hands with her, she recoiled in fear and disgust. She was surprised to find that it wasn't anxiety, but a strange empty feeling that was making her respond in such away. In truth, she really didn't want to be in the situation to begin with.

Walking down the train's entrance aisle, her thoughts turned morbid, as she once again began to think of her now, dead best friends.

'I miss them so much; why did they have to go?' Tears came to her eyes and she quickly brushed them away, annoyed at herself for crying in public. Though they were never actually declared dead, Roy Mustang and Alphonse Elric had been considered missing in action for six months. There had been no news of Ed and everyone had presumed him dead, though they never did find a body. Some people had reported that they had seen Ed recently, but Winry dismissed them as sick jokes.

The train whistled once pulling Winry out of her thoughts and reminding her that she hadn't gotten a seat yet. Winry re-approached the ticket man, trying to put as much patience into her voice.

"Excuse me sir, could you please show me to a private cabin?" she asked, slightly annoyed that a women had approached him during her question and was asking for a blanket at the same time. Frowning, she waited for him to deal with the women before turning his attention back to her.

"I'm sorry, you wanted a -"

"- Private cabin" she finished for him, allowing her anger to show in her voice. Since Edward and Alphonse were gone, Winry had slowly descended into a dark place in her mind where she had no patience with anyone.

The man noticed her mood, and eagerly showed her to a private cabin at the end of the train. He was reluctant to ask her for the money needed to pay for the privacy, already wanting to put as much space between him and the angry women. When she did finally give him the  
>money, she gave him an angry glare, which turned into a complete scowl when he left.<p>

Once she settled in, she was left to her own thoughts in reflection. Thinking back, she was surprised at how she treated people now.

'I can't believe I acted that way to that poor guy back there,' She looked guiltily at the floor thinking of the ticket guy.

'Now that I think about it, I've been acting differently since…' She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, nevertheless think it, so she turned bitterly to the window; burying the thoughts of the very last time she saw Edward into the back of her mind...

_The day started out warm enough; the sun seemed to blind out the worry in Winry's eyes as she entered Edward's room. Ed's poor mental state left Winry awake at night concerned for him. She really didn't want to have him see her in such a distress mood this early in the morning. She knew Edward didn't need her mood swings when he wasn't in his right mind. She paused for a moment gathering up her courage, before putting on a less than convincing smile and gently opening the door. _

_The sight before her almost broke her heart. Edward sat before her in a wooden chair with an empty look on his face. To any normal observer, he would have looked like a vegetable as Pinako had suggested, but Winry knew better. There was still intelligence and a spark of alertness still present in his eyes. _

_Ed's appearance almost made Winry lose her composure, but for his sake she braved it through._

_"Good morning Ed. How are you feeling today?" She didn't wait for a reply, knowing Edward wouldn't give her one._

_"It's a lovely day, why don't you go outside?" She went over to the window and pulled the shade, allowing light to flood the room. Edward flinched at its brightness. Winry smiled at his reaction. Edward had locked himself into his room at the Rockbell's shortly after Al and Roy's death. He had refused to speak or allow anyone in except Winry. Though he didn't talk to her very much at all, she knew he was dying on the inside and would soon snap if a solution to his current sorrows was not found. His hollow demure and empty appearance was just a shadow of how he truly felt. _

_That's why she hassled him with such ridiculous questions and dialogue, so she could distract him and hold him to earth. She didn't want him to escape. _

_"I'll be back in a minute with your food." She turned to leave, but paused to turn around and catch one more glimpse of her best friend and boy she had come to love.  
><em>

_"Winry?" Edwards voice was so quiet and empty that she almost didn't recognize it.  
><em>

_"Yes" she responded immediately, eager to have him speak to her. She could have sworn she saw true life snap back into his eyes for a second before falling back into the shadows. He turned his head away._

_"Nothing."_

_Winry sighed and left, knowing that he wasn't going to tell her anymore. When she returned five minutes later with his breakfast, he was gone…_

The train shook violently, bringing Winry out of her morbid thoughts. She heard lots of people screaming and opened her cabin door to see a crowd of people running by. They were being instructed by a ticket man to enter another part of the train in an orderly fashion. When the man caught site of Winry he approached her and asked her to go back inside her cabin.

"Why, what's going on?" She asked, looking around curiously. The man tried, but failed miserably to divert her attention and block her view.

"Everything's fine Miss. We're just having a few technical difficulties. The passengers are being evacuated to another part of the train while we fix the problem." He explained.

"Is there anything I can do to help? I'm a mechanic." The man made a face at her question and signaled for her to go back into her cabin. Winry looked around and noticed that there were only a handful of passengers left on her side of the train.

"Please return to your cabin. I will return momentarily to direct you and the remaining passengers to another part of the train." Winry sighed and went back inside. She could tell he was lying and could have sworn that she heard a scream in the background during his speech.

'Oh well, there's nothing I can do now.' Winry sighed and entered the cabin, oblivious to the present danger.

Unaware to Winry, at that same time, two figures clad in black made their way down the train aisle. Neither one of them held a weapon, but all the people knew they were dangerous. The taller one made his way through the crowd of panicking people, smirking when he saw a young woman who had fallen behind and was currently on the floor holding her ankle. Turning over his shoulder he called to his companion.

"Hurry up Pride, I don't have all day!" As if on cue, the younger one reappeared holding a trunk of valuables that had been in the train's storage compartments.

"Everything's here and accounted for." Envy nodded.

"Good, we can leave. But first –" Envy interrupted himself with his fast speed and disappeared for a moment. He reappeared a moment later in front of the fallen women, thrusting one of his transformed fingers into her throat. She fell over a moment later dead. The sight was enough to send the people flocking to the other side of the train in an inhumane speed. Envy smirked again and looked over to his companion, waiting for his response. He frowned when he didn't get one.

"Well?" He demanded, angry that Pride didn't care. Pride simply stared at him and turned to leave, not caring in the least of Envy's motives. In that moment, Winry chose to exit her cabin as her impatience had gotten the better of her. Pride was the first to see her come out. As soon as he saw her, his facial expression changed. Envy noted with interest that he looked like he was in agonizing pain and struggling with some inner conflict.

'I know her, I've seen her somewhere before. Who is she?' He thought desperately. Pride was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't notice Envy's approach on the girl.

'This could be fun. Who knew that the girl would have such an effect on him' Envy thought darkly.

"Huh? Where is everyone?" Winry asked aloud, looking around the now, vacant room. The two people she saw made her heart stop for three seconds flat. Recalling her earlier encounter, Winry recognized the green haired homunculus as Envy. She subconsciously took a step backward when she made eye contact with him. Wanting to avoid his gaze, she turned her attention to his companion. The boy next to him looked strangely familiar standing there with a trunk in his arms. He was a shorter boy with gold hair and –

'Wait, Is that…no it can't be!' She thought in surprised joy.

"Edward?" She yelled, taking a few slow steps forward, which moments later turned into a full run.

'Winry' Pride's mind seemed to whisper. He watched in mild curiosity as she came up to touch him, but when her fingers brushed his arm, he panicked and backhanded her out of reflex. No on touched a homunculus. Winry pulled back, rubbing her cheek. She was stunned into silence with disbelief. Edward would have never raised a hand to her. Moments later her eyes rolled back and she collapsed on the ground. Envy's smirk turned into a full - fledged smile as he went over to pick up the fallen girl.

"Well, that was easy…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry this took so long. I'm not going to bother with an explanation, it would just take too long. I'd like to give a special thanks to chelsea-chee for beta reading this chapter. Please read and review. I have more chapters coming.**_  
><em>


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

The train had been headed to Rush Valley. It was unfortunate, because their hideout was twenty leagues in the opposite direction and they had to travel by foot. Pride carried the trunk they had found on the train and Envy carried the blond girl. Their walk was tedious but neither said anything. Once they reached the abandoned castle that was serving as their base, Envy left the girl with Lust and went with Pride to report to their master.

Hohenheim had been a mistake. The man was so enchanted with Alchemy that he was slowly losing his mind. His disregard of his dangerous servants, the Homunculi, and the false belief that he was a Homunculus himself, made him a deranged lunatic. Pride realized this as the old man went through the trunk they had stolen. Pulling out some ancient, random objects, he started to shake his head and frown in some sort of displeasure.

"This will not be enough." He stated. Envy, who had been a few meters away, stalked over impatiently and grabbed Hohenheim by his shirt – dragging him to his feet in the process. Envy hated Hohenheim. For some unknown reason, he had a personal vendetta against the man.

"What do you mean, 'that's not enough!' That's all there was, so you'll have to make do." He snapped.

"You don't understand." Hohenheim said, grabbing Envy's arm and pulling it off of his shirt.

"I'm still missing some key ingredients."

"What would you have us do?" Envy asked in an annoyed voice.

"You could start by going back to the train and capturing the owners of these relics. I'm sure at least one of them would know where to find more." He gestured to the treasures on the floor. Hohenheim's frown increased when he saw Envy bite his lip viciously in frustration and Pride thought for a moment  
>that he would resort to violence once more. But before Envy could reply, Pride cut in.<p>

"That is not possible." His voice was unnerving and emotionless as usual.

"And why would that be?" Hohenheim asked Pride, though his gaze was still on Envy. Envy for his part, returned him with a glare of his own and answered venomously.

"Because we blew it up." Hohenheim sucked in a quick breath in anger and Envy continued, oblivious to the other's sudden mood swing.

"We blew it up and killed all the passengers on board. We made sure no one survived." His voice had gained more confidence, and he was practically yelling in smugness by the end of his small sentence. Pride stiffly nodded in agreement.

"I see. You had enough sense to kill everyone on board, save a little girl who's absolutely useless to me…. Why did you bring her?" Hohenheim demanded. Pride's eyes widened a fracture.

'Where is that girl?' He asked himself, slightly looking around the room for her. He managed to use as much discretion as possible, hoping no one noticed. Pride turned his attention back to Hohenheim as he finished speech.

"…beginning to think that you two are as useless as well." Pride looked over to Envy and saw what little patience he had slipping fast.

"No. You are useless. I'm tired of your games old man. In fact, I'm just tired of you." With that said, Envy leaped forward and savagely gripped Hohenheim's head with one hand on each side and literally pulled his master apart. Pride watched dispassionately as the remains fell onto the floor. The body had been ripped in two.

"You can no longer tell me what to do!" Envy shrieked at the corpse. Then he looked up and caught Pride's gaze.

"I'm in charge now." He told him, with a dangerous glint in his eyes. Pride was not surprised. The growing animosity between Envy and Hohenheim had been slowly increasing since before the time of Pride's birth. For a time, Hohenheim had been able to control the Homunculus. But as the man had aged and become senile, Envy had slowly broken free of his influence.

"Pride, set up the relics. With Hohenheim gone, we'll need you to prepare everything." Hohenheim's mistake had been in informing Envy of his plan and how to use the relics.

"Yes." Pride agreed, his face neutral. Inch by maddening inch, Envy turned his head to stare at Pride giving him the most uncomfortable glare. It was anyone's guess what went on in Envy's head. Pride stared right back, emotionless. After a few moments in silence, Envy turned away.

"Lust."

Seeing that he no longer required his presence, Pride retired to the back of the room, giving his full attention to the relics. A few moments later, Lust stalked into the room carrying Winry like a baby. The new comers turned the room deathly still and the only sound heard were Lust's shoes clicking against the stone floor. Envy watched as the Homunculus dumped Winry unceremoniously down in the only chair that occupied the dark room. Satisfied with Lust's work, Envy waved a hand dismissing her. She left without a word.

Walking over to the girl, Envy called to Pride, requesting his presence. When Pride was within a satisfied distance, Envy began.

"Do you know who this girl is?" Envy asked Pride, hoping to bait him.

"No" Pride's voice betrayed nothing, which made it easy for him to lie. Envy frowned; he didn't like having his plans foiled – even if they were insignificant. Changing his tactic, he started again.

"Don't you want to remember your humanity, your past?" He asked sweetly, knowing that he had Pride exactly where he wanted him and judging by his appearance, Pride looked anxious – if you could call it that. Circling around Winry's sleeping form, Envy rested his hands on her shoulders in a bit of a possessive manner.

"This girl here is Winry Rockbell." He gestured to the sleeping girl and almost laughed at Pride's expression. He was obviously agitated by Envy's choice of speech, and was waiting impatiently for  
>his point in the small demonstration.<p>

"Do you recognize her name?"

"No" Though it was vague, Envy detected the small tremor in his voice – which was easily interpreted as a lie. It was a bit strange for Pride to carry any emotions in his voice, which Envy found very amusing.

Pride was thinking along the same lines of Envy. He had noticed his mistake, and was quite livid  
>with himself for giving into such human traits. Luckily, he was able to avoid any facial expressions and kept the mask of illusions in place.<p>

"That's too bad. Despite your lack of memory, I believe she recognized you." Pride could tell that Envy was holding information back, but knew better than to question him.

"Surely you remember how she responded to your presence on the train?" Envy asked Pride, taking his detached appearance as one who was trying to recall the past memory.

"I'm sure she would be more than happy to help you recall your past memories." Pride knew that Envy's choice in wording was his way of suggesting that the girl be interrogated. He forced himself to remain still as Envy leaned down and rubbed his face crudely against Winry's shoulder. He didn't like that.

"If you would like _brother_, I would be more than happy to assist you with the girl in recovering such personal information." When he was finished speaking Envy leaned in closer to Winry and dragged out  
>his tongue, running it across Winry's left earlobe, all the while keeping his eyes locked on Pride, silently daring him to object.<p>

Pride knew Envy was baiting him, and chose to ignore him. His insides were twisting with malice and jealousy but didn't understand why. Reacting to something he didn't understand seemed foolish. Using all the self-restraint he had, Pride stiffly answered,

"That would be most helpful." All the while he fought the urge to grind his teeth in distaste at his own words, knowing that Envy would somehow punish him in the future for offering an alternative. Envy snickered at his response and pulled away from Winry. Standing up, he turned his head once again to the doorway and called out to the small eavesdropper on the other side.

"Wrath," He waited a few moments for the smaller Homunculus to show himself before continuing. When it became apparent that the small boy-like creature wouldn't leave the doorpost, Envy prompted him to come over with an insult along the lines of,

"Get your pathetic filth in here before I bring you in myself." The loud voice was enough for Wrath to quickly comply and scamper over to the green haired Homunculus. Allowing him to take in his sights, Envy asked (or more like) demanded that he clean up the mess of the now deceased Hohenheim. Losing interest quickly, Envy turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

Walking back over to the occupied chair, Envy picked up Winry and turned to leave. Surprised by her lack of response, Envy wondered at how hard she hit her head when she fainted. Surely she should have awakened. He had almost completely forgotten about Pride, walking right passed him, only pausing when he heard his voice.

"Brother?" The simple word held a million thoughts about his intentions.

"You needn't worry about the girl." Looking over his shoulder he gave Pride a maddening smile.

"I'll take good care of her while she's in my charge." Neither one of them missed the underlined meaning in his voice. Recalling a past situation with another girl in Envy's care, Pride involuntarily shivered.

_He hadn't meant to walk past Envy's room, really he hadn't. He knew better than anyone what would happen if Envy caught him wondering about in his personal wing of the castle. Noticing his mistake, Pride went to leave immediately. He paused once catching sight of a slightly opened door. Out of  
>pure curiosity, Pride looked in and at once pulled back horrified at the<br>spectacle before him._

_Turning away in disgust, he headed for the quickest exit – attempting to lead his presence away from the wretched display behind him. All the while trying to drowned out the horrible screams of a poor girl screaming out in pain and fear.  
><em>

_"No! Please…Please stop! No!" Walking out, Pride failed to avoid his gaze as the terror behind him displayed itself as shadows on the wall of a broken girl being devoured by a monster. Blood was everywhere. _

Closing his eyes against the memory, Pride chose to ignore the ache in his gut that told him that this was wrong. Three days, the poor girl had only managed three days in Envy's care before dying. His eyes remained tightly shut, already regretting his decision to speak and fearing for his health the consequences that would follow.

"I'll take her." Opening his eyes, Pride could tell that Envy was surprised by his outburst. But even more surprising was Envy's submissive attitude. He didn't say a word when Pride approached him or when he handed the girl over to him. Pride had expected some sort of violent punishment for contradicting Envy's plan. He was shocked when he received none and managed to keep the disbelief from showing on his face. Was it a trick or some sort of test? Pride didn't know.

Once again emotionless, he left the room carrying Winry's limp form in his arms. He avoided Wrath's shocked gaze at his boldness and chose to ignore Envy sneer. When he was gone Envy spoke up.

"Most interesting indeed..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay! Another Chapter done. Please read and review. I have plenty more chapters waiting to be added. This chapter was beta read by <strong>chelsea-chee<strong> who is very clever with grammar and incredibly patient with me. Thank you :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist

"This is inconceivable! I can tell you right now, Colonel, that High Command is not happy with you!" Yelled General Horan Frick. The man had come shortly after news of the train's disaster had reached Central.

Colonel Riza Hawkeye slammed her fists in unison onto her desk in frustration.

"We had eight of our own soldiers on that train. Are you sure?" She asked Lt. Jean Havoc as he stood faced in front of her desk. He nodded solemnly.

"Yes. The train was completely destroyed. There are no survivors. According to the investigation report, the passengers were all killed from similar wounds of extreme laceration. What's more is that our own soldiers were left without their uniforms." Havoc told her gravely. Riza closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation.

"That's just great! So what you are saying is that there are dangerous enemies out there that have stolen our own military's uniforms! Do you understand the severity of the implications?" Shouted Frick, blue in the face from anger.

Riza did her best to ignore him as she studied the report in her hand. She was so upset, that she could barely read it.

The train had been carrying several prestigious elders representing the newly declared country of Anayaia – a self proclaimed empire in the center of the Great Eastern Dessert, atop the ancient ruins of the country of Xerxes. The empire claimed it's populace was descended from of the mysterious Xerxiasian people. As of late, the country was becoming a threat and growing in number as it welcomed the remaining Ishvalins into it's fold as well as shown an interest in expanding it's territory to the outskirts of Yous Well. What was more alarming, was that the unrest in Lior had caused it's people to express a desire to join Anayaia as well.

"It was your job to bring the elders to Central. Amestris cannot afford a new enemy now. Those peace talk were essential in negotiations for a treaty. With the representatives dead, we might as well be declaring an act of war!" Frick shouted. Riza contemplated shooting the man, but thought better of it. He was greasy and spineless, with the just enough wit to be annoying. Unfortunately, the man had used that wit to get his current promotion to General. She couldn't afford to be court martialed. She needed to stay focused on the train incident.

"Do we know what happened?" She asked quietly. Havoc's response was immediate.

"In the official press release, there was an oil leak that spilled into the engine." Riza raised her eyebrow. It would keep the public in Amestris satisfied, but she knew that the people of Anayaia would be suspicious and would want answers.

"And unofficially?"

"And unofficially terrorists were responsible. According to the crew's last log, there were two of them. They entered the train and stole some valuables in one of the elder's trunks." Havoc told her, keeping his eye contact steady.

"Do we know what the valuables were?" Frick interrupted. Havic shook his head.

"Not yet."

"Do we know who owned the trunk?" Riza asked, pointedly. Havoc shrugged and gestured to Frick. Riza turned and look at the general. He glowered at her and crossed his arms.

"I was hoping you could tell me." He told her snidely.

"I'll have 2nd Lt. Breda check the files in Central for a complete list of names and items on the train." Havoc told Riza. Silence once again resumed. Seeing that he was reluctant to continue, Riza once again directed the conversation.

"Do you think theses 'terrorists' were from Anayaia or from within our own borders?" She asked to no one in particular.

"Perhaps there is a third party out there that doesn't want Amestris and this new empire to become allies." Frick pointed out. Havoc shook his head.

"I have no idea."

When it became apparent that there was nothing left to address, General Frick made his leave.

"I can see that this is a waste if time. I expect you to report to High Command within the next twenty four hours, Colonel." He snapped, before slamming the office's door. Havoc listened as the general's footsteps faded. Once he was satisfied with the silence, he turned back to Hawkeye.

"There's more, Colonel." Stepping closer to the desk, Havoc continued in a hushed tone.

"This has been kept out of the official report, but one of the investigators indicated that the crew log recorded the appearances of the two terrorists … one of the terrorists resembled a certain blond alchemist that has been missing for a while." Riza's eyes widened and she unintentionally stood up in anticipation.

"Was it Edward?"

"The log specifically stated in name that the Full Metal Alchemist had appeared." He confirmed. Riza frowned.

"And the other terrorists? What did he look like?" She demanded.

"He was taller and had green hair." Havoc told her neutrally. Riza blinked.

"Did you just say, 'green hair'?" There had never been an official report on any of the homunculi, but she knew from memory that one of them had green hair.

"Was there anything about the markings of a snake on their skin?" She asked, Havoc frowned.

"No, but the log did state that the blond one had both arms of flesh and blood." His voice took on a note of fear and Riza could see that the man was becoming disturbed and confused on the topic. The Full Metal Alchemist had always been a friend to their squad and it was difficult to discuss such sensitive topics so shortly after Edward had disappeared.

"No Automail?" She asked. Havoc shook his head and Riza forced herself to relax.

"This means nothing. At this time we can neither confirm or deny the Full Metal Alchemist's involvement. Until further evidence is concluded, I think it would be best for now that this information stays between us." She told Havoc quietly, her mind racing. Havoc nodded.

"With your permission, Colonel, I have summoned the investigator that found the crew's log. If anyone can convince him to remain silent, I thought it was you, ma'am." Then he went to the door and opened it.

"Please come in, Mr. Dram." He called. Riza wasn't very pleased with Havoc's decision. She didn't know what she would say to the investigator to assure his silence, but she kept her thoughts to herself. She watched quietly as small, wiry, bald man in a military hat and coat came into the room. Curiously, the man mark of station was missing from his coat and his shirt was untucked. Riza didn't know if the man had quickly scrambled into his uniform prior to coming or if he was just a plain slob.

When he saw Hawkeye, he quickly removed his hat. It went against protocol, but no one commented.

"Colonel Hawkeye, it is a pleasure to meet you at last." The man saluted. Riza fought the urge to sigh.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Dram." The bald man blushed, embarrassed.

"Please, call me Forest. Everybody does."

"Very well Mr. Forest, I -"

"-I know why you called me hear today, ma'am. You want to discuss the train logs I discovered. Let me just say that you have my complete cooperation. I'm a very big fan of yours Colonel. You can rest easy, knowing you have my silence." Forest interrupted in a big rush. Riza looked taken aback, but said nothing.

"We appreciate your consideration." Havoc put in. Forest smiled and Havoc opened the door for him to leave.

"Will contact you if there is-"

"- Wait there's more!" Forest shouted. Havoc promptly shut the door.

"There's more?" Riza echoed. For a second, she could have sworn she saw a quick grin run across the man's face before it vanished.

"Yes. This is completely unofficial but rumor has it that eyewitnesses claimed to have seen a girl accompanying the two terrorists. They said girl was originally traveling on the train. A girl whose resemblance matches to that of the young Winry Rockbell." Forest told her.

Riza realized her mouth had fallen open in surprise. Winry Rockbell had been closely affiliated with the Full Metal Alchemist. What had she been doing on the the train? It was quite the coincidence that the blond mechanic was traveling on the same train as the elders from Anayaia... and then to have left with the two terrorists? It was so strange.

If word of Winry's involvement reached High Command, then she would be declared a subject of interest and quite possible a spy and traitor to the government. What was worse was that she couldn't order a proper investigation into Miss Rockbell's whereabouts without her superiors taking notice.

"How do you know who Winry Rockbell is?" Havoc asked Forest suspiciously at the same time Riza asked,

"Who are these eye witnesses?" Forest's face was blank when he responded to the Colonel, choosing to ignore Havoc.

"Does it really matter? They are all dead now." He told her simply. Riza stared at him long and hard.

There was a sudden knock on the door. Before Havoc could open it, four security personnel officers entered the room. In unison, all for of them marched towards Riza and saluted her, completely ignoring Havoc and Forest.

"What is the meaning of this?" She asked mildly.

"Excuse the interruption, but there has been a breach in security…" One of the informed her. Forrest turned to leave. Putting his hat on, he paused once when he reached the door.

"I still have some other duties to perform. If you'll excuse me, Colonel."

"Wait. Forrest, we haven't finished discussing your news on the investigation." Havoc called.

"Another time, Lieutenant." He waved over his shoulder.

Once he had left the room and had walked a few paces, Forrest stopped. Satisfied with the hallway's vacancy, he transformed into a smug Envy. His imitation of the soldier's uniforms that he had stolen on the train was a complete success. Lust or even Warth could get away unnoticed on the enemy's base as long as they were in uniform.

It had taken five days to travel on foot from the train wreck to their secret base outside of East City. But flying in the form a crow made the travel to Central much quicker.

"Now that they know the girl is with us, it's only a matter of time before word of her involvement reaches High Command." He sneered. With another reassured glance around, Envy transformed back into his crow form and flew high into the sky.

When he returned to the castle, Pride was there to greet him.

"Do you have the names of the elders who possess the remaining relics?" Pride asked in a detached voice. Envy rolled his eyes, there was never any pleasantries when dealing with Pride. Walking past him, the green haired homunculus allowed his shoulder to bump into Pride and knock him back a few paces as he made his way to the castle's entrance.

"No, but I did learn some interesting news." Envy didn't even bother to look back and see if Pride was interested. He knew he wasn't. Unlike his counterpart, Full Metal, Pride was a very dull and boring creature.

"It seems that blond girl - Winry has become quite popular. The military has ordered a thorough search and investigation for her." It wasn't a complete lie, but Envy didn't care either way.

"Of course, as you know, if she becomes too dangerous, we'll have to terminate her." Envy did look back then, hoping for a reaction.

"I am not interested in the girl." Pride told Envy. It could be a lie, but Envy wasn't about to call him on it. Still hoping to get a rise out of him, he made his way into the castle.

"That's good, because I _am_ interested in her. She's such a pretty little thing. In fact, I think I'll go visit our guest now." Envy left quickly, laughing to himself when his super inhuman hearing picked up the sound of something being smashed. It appeared that Pride had a temper after all.

Up in the far reaches of the castle, Winry Rockbell woke startled from the noise down below. Looking around she noticed she was lying in an extravagant bed with golden red and silk sheets. Instead of her overalls and checkered shirt, she was surprised to find herself wearing a long black dress that hugged her every curve and left her shoulders bare.

Taking in her surroundings, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive from the luxurious room she was in. The floor was a lovely smoothed brown wood. The lower half of the walls were suspended in gold, while the tops of them were coated in red paint.

The only furniture in the room aside from the bed, was a desk by the far window that sat parallel with the bed.

"Where am I?" She asked out loud, noticing for the first time that she was alone. The moment of solitary silence was short lived, however, when Envy stormed into the room.

"Hello." He greeted. His voice carried such a suggestive tone that it made Winry blush. Sparing her a quick glance, he walked over to the desk and sat on top of it. He didn't appear angry, on the contrary he looked excited and smug. In his hands he carried an orange and a knife.

The sight of food made Winry's stomach growl and with a start she realized that she was very hungry.

Envy smiled in silence at her and began to peel the orange. He remained silent for a good five minutes before speaking.

"The military is looking for you. Your friends in Central are all very concerned. " Accustomed to the silence Winry jumped again at his sudden voice.

Looking over, Envy smirked at her surprise, by his voice or the news of the military, he couldn't determine.

"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of changing your clothes. Lust didn't mind sharing." Envy laughed out loud when she blushed. Tossing her a piece of fruit, he watched in interest as she clumsily caught it and then jammed it in her mouth. She would have been terrified of Envy, if she hadn't been so hungry.

"Where am I?" She asked through a mouthful of the fruit. Jumping off of the desk, he approached her and silently handed her another piece of fruit.

"You're in our castle. After Pride knocked you out, I knew we couldn't leave you there – you had seen us." He informed her. Winry started to tremble as the memory of her encounter on the train came back to her.

"Pride?" She asked in a small voice. Envy smiled viciously. It was all the opening that he needed.

"Yes, he's a monster. I don't know why he's taken such an interest in you, but don't worry. I'll keep you safe. I've ordered everyone to stay away from you." He told her, trying to make his voice tender. Winry dropped the piece of fruit, her appetite gone.

"I thought you were hungry?" He asked as he took in her appearance appreciatively. Winry did her best to ignore his leery gaze. Watching her intently, Envy took a bite of the last piece of fruit.

"I-I want to see this 'Pride'." She told him. Edward would have never hit her, but his familiar appearance was too much of a coincidence to ignore. She had to speak with him. If he wasn't Edward than perhaps he knew what became of him.

"You do realize that if he comes to you, then he will hurt you?" He told her softly. It took Winry a moment to realize what Envy was talking about.

"Please, why me? Can't you just let me g-"

Winry was interrupted when Envy pushed her against the wall and used his weight to keep her pinned. Leaning in close to her Envy whispered,

"It has nothing to do with me. This is about you and Pride. I have no power here." He whispered the lie against her lips. Winry shook her head.

"This is his call. He is more clever and powerful than you think." Winry trembled and Envy cupped her chin.

"I came to warn you. He will come and he will break you - and if the military becomes too involved, he will kill you."

"But can't I-"

Winry was once again interrupted by Envy, though this time he did it through a kiss. Feebly attempting to push away, she became paralyzed when Envy snaked his arm around her and pulled her to him to deepen the kiss. She squeaked when he relentlessly pushed his tongue into her mouth. He tasted vile.

Winry whimpered and then Envy was standing on the other side of the room, by the door. She blinked. He was very fast.

"If that's what you want – I'll send him to you." Envy told her airily. Turning around he opened the door.

"Wait!" Winry called. Envy turned around silently.

"Where is – where is Edward?" She asked. Envy turned away.

"He's dead. Pride killed him." He lied and then slammed the door.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I apologize if their are any mistakes in this chapter. Had to re - read and edited on my own.**


	5. Chapter 5

Dislcaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist

"This is a dangerous game that you are playing, Envy. We don't need the girl; she's a distraction. It is an especially critical time for us," Lust commented with a frown as she rifled through another Alchemy book, sitting lazily behind the desk in Hohenheim's study. Envy laughed darkly as he leaned against the door way and watched as Pride ascended the stairway that led to Winry Rockbell's room.

"Really, I think it's perfect. Maybe we can utilize her, she may be just what we need to use as a bargaining piece, should Pride ever step out of line."

Lust sighed and tossed the book away before grabbing another one. With photo graphic memory and superhuman gifts, she could literally read a whole book in a good five to ten minutes. "Pride has been our comrade for over a year now and there has never been any trace of disloyalty or hints to a hidden agenda. He is one of us."

Envy scoffed and glanced up at the ceiling, wondering what his 'brother dearest' and the blonde were up to. "I don't trust him. Pride is such a prick, and his face is always so blank. It's unnatural. Who knows what goes on in that head of his."

Lust paused midway through the book she was reading and gave Envy a disapproving look. She knew he was jealous of his brother. Under her scrutiny, Envy crossed his arms. "You know that Pride is different from the rest of us. His lack of emotional response could very well be one of the side effects Hohenheim told us about when he was created." She reminded him before going back to her book. Envy fought the urge to spit in frustration.

"Don't remind me - a homunculus created with the embedment of red stones. What's next?" He scowled and looked away. Pride was different – the red tattoos of Alchemic origin that swirled on his skin were a blatant reminder – supposedly the homunculus was instilled with the very essence of his previous human incarnation and although he had no soul of his own, should be able to perform alchemy. Furthermore, Hohenheim had stated that Pride could very well gain complete access to Edward's memories and knowledge. However, on both accounts neither one had yet to come to pass.

"It's a waste. He's a failed experiment and a freak of nature," Envy grumbled. Tired of his complaining, Lust shoved the book aside and stood up.

"There's nothing here," she told him impatiently.

"There has to be. Keep looking," Envy insisted. Lust made her way to the door, unfazed.

"No. All the information is the same. Without an alchemist, we cannot activate the objects. You shouldn't have eliminated Hohenheim so prematurely," she rebuked. Envy rolled his eyes and fought very, very hard to contain his anger and insanity. He wanted desperately to destroy her. Anything that stood in his way had to be cut down… but Lust was needed. She was younger than him and not nearly as powerful, but she had knowledge that was invaluable to their plans.

"I will find a new alchemist to use," he vowed.

* * *

><p>The only warning Winry had of Pride's arrival was the quiet groan of the heavy wooden door opening to her room. The noise was reminiscent of an animal in pain and it made Winry involuntarily shiver. Her encounter with Envy had left her emotionally drained and mentally confused. From Ed and Al's prior accounts, she knew what he was and how dangerous and evil he could be. She suspected that their conversation had been shrouded in half truths or downright lies and she wasn't sure what to do with the information he had given her.<p>

And now with a man wearing Edward's face standing in her doorway, Winry tried to gather her wits.

Pride stared unmoving as he studied the girl. She looked absolutely perfect with her honey colored hair and sapphire eyes. Her figure was small but curvy. Her skin was pale but not in a sickly way like the homunculi. No, her skin was milky and flawless. It gave off a certain healthy glow that made her almost irresistible. What was out of place was the marring frown on her face and dark circles under her eyes. Her shoulders drooped in the poor posture that hinted at sorrow and troubles. The black dress she wore only exaggerated the shadows on her face and it almost made Pride want to scowl. She didn't belong in darkness. The girl – Winry – belonged in the sunshine. She should have worn a smile on her face and a wrench in her hand.

Pride mentally staggered away from such repulsive thoughts. What had gotten into him? To even think such foreign, idiotic whims were blasphemous. They scorned his very existence. Was the girl to blame? Surely she was. Perhaps Envy was right – she was the key to his memory. As a dark creature of self loathing and poison and hatred and sickness, he was starved for completion. All homunculi starved for completion. They were imperfect beings. Regaining the memory of their mortal personifications elevated them one step higher in their quest for perfection.

As Pride stood motionless in the doorway, Winry bit her lip and chewed on it anxiously. She hadn't forgotten her last memory of their encounter where he had backhanded her on the train. If she approached him again, would he attack her? Was he like Envy? Was this Pride – or perhaps it was Edward – not even human?

Deciding to brave it; Winry quietly whispered, "Who are you?"

Her soft inquiry seemed to trigger Pride's awareness as he once more made a step into her general direction. "Who are you?" he retorted. It was after all, intended to be an interrogation. It wouldn't do if she asked the questions.

Winry's brow furrowed in both confusion and anger. She wasn't sure if he was mocking her or generally curious. "Don't you know who I am?" she asked carefully, slowly, unsure if she should be angry or hurt. Although they had never confessed it, Winry had loved Edward and she had been fairly sure that he had loved her too. If it was Edward, how could he have forgotten her?

Pride came to stop but a foot away from her, loosely crossing his arms and with a slight scowl on his face. No human had ever dared to speak to him in such a manner. He was slightly intrigued by her behavior... and also incredibly annoyed. Unbeknownst to him, the position he had chosen to stand in was very reminiscent of Edward's typical body language. Winry sucked in a breath and despite her instinct buzzing at the danger she avidly approached him.

"Edward?" she asked uncertainly as, unknowingly, tears began to flood her eyes and trail down her cheeks. One of her hands came to rest on his cheek as she caressed it gently. Pride stiffened immediately at her touch. "I wasn't sure at first but now I'm almost positive." Her other hand came to rest on his arm but as soon as she touched him she realized something was wrong. His arm -

"Where's your automail? I don't understand," she asked apprehensively as she studied his right arm of flesh and bone. What was worse was that his skin was decorated in some strange, red tattoo... It was on both his arms and what skin around his neck that was exposed. Winry started to shake in denial when she realized how cold he was and how disturbed his proximity made her feel. Abruptly, she dropped his arm and went to recoil.

"No!" Pride all but growled as his arm snaked around her waist and dragged her back to him so that she was held flushed against him in a cold, vice like grip. Her hands got caught between his chest and hers and she could feel how icy his skin was and how hard and muscular his body was.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she trembled in his hold unwilling to look up into his face, but Pride wasn't listening. As soon as Winry had touched him something had sparked within him and it had nothing to do with how aroused she had suddenly made him or how interested he was in the sound of her voice or person in general. No. It was something that was set loose in his mind.

_It was him… or no, a child likeness of him. _

_Edward._

_There was another little boy. _

_Alphonse._

_They were were drawing a circle in the dirt. It was an alchemic transmutation. They were making a doll. _

_It was for Winry._

The memory was so overwhelming that it left him breathless. It hurt and it was awful but it was addicting and powerful and he wanted more. Closing his eyes, Pride willed more to come to him. Unfortunately, he was distracted. "Edward?" Winry asked and it was too much. Pride opened his eyes in alarm as proverbial light flooded his being. He could feel it. He could feel the love and how much of it the Full Metal Alchemist had for the girl. It was everywhere and inescapable. The shadows were chased away and the filth and disease became uprooted and it was all replaced with warmth and life as his mind and very essence was chased away. He was being replaced or removed and possessed.

What had the girl done!?

Without warning Pride grabbed her by the neck and whispered dangerously in her ear."Don't ever call me that again. I am a homunculus. I am Pride. If I ever hear that name come out of your mouth again, I won't hesitate to kill you," he threatened darkly as he willed the light away. It was almost impossible but he was still Pride and like an animal he would fight for his territory and the right to his own existence. Memories of a life that he had never lived flooded his mind and his dark heart recoiled from the brightness of it all. Emotions invaded his psyche and it took everything he had within him to push it away and banish it into the dark recesses of his being.

Then all at once it was over. The light was gone and the love banished... but it had left an unsavory aftertaste in his mouth and an impression that he could not forget. Pride looked down at the girl he held in his grip and scowled. She was a danger to him, perhaps more so than even Envy or the multiples of enemies that he had made during his time with the other homunculi. The girl, Winry – his mind would never let him forget – she had a power over him. It was an influencethat she was probably not aware of. He may not have 'loved' her as the Alchemist had but with his memories still stinging his consciousness, he could not disregard her either. It was new an alien but he was familiar enough with the carnal sins of man to recognize how she had suddenly become very attractive to his eye. Her appeal, however, centered in her ability to make him feel and remember, remember important things, things about his past life. It was only a hunch but Pride suspected that if such events continued, he would soon be able to perform alchemy. That was assuming, of course, that whatever light had tried to invade him, he could conquer.

Still, the girl was too much of a temptation to ignore.

With his grip still around her throat, Pride backed her up until her knees hit the bed.

"What are you doing?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer. His grip wasn't strong but it was still hard to breathe, fear almost paralyzing her.

"You loved the Full Metal Alchemist," he began, his voice once again quiet and neutral. "And he loved you." Winry flushed at his words but didn't deny them as she stared up into his animalistic purple gaze. There was a wicked glint to them. "It's such a shame that neither of you confronted your passions before his untimely death," he taunted and then shoved her backwards on the bed. Confounded at his words, Winry stared at him, mouth agape. Pride smirked slightly and reached down to grip her jaw.

"My heart belongs to Edward," she told him when he was but a breath away. Her eyes were defiant and Pride realized that he needed to tread carefully. Winry had spirit. Nothing pleasant would come of their union if he had to fight her to keep her subdued – but there were other ways to make a woman yield.

"Perhaps," Pride countered as he moved to kneel over her. Winry used her arms to hold and push up and his chest. "But I can sense your confusion. Even after my words and actions, you are not sure who I am." He leaned down to whisper into her ear as he manipulated her arms and wrapped them around his neck. Winry frowned deeply at his proximity, but hesitated to push him completely away. "And I guarantee that by the end of this night, you will not be able to distinguish me from your beloved."

It was promise... and her arms did not fall away.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Finally, a new chapter. Things are getting steamy. A special thanks to my beta, chelsea-chee for being so awesome and patient with me and this long awaited chapter. <strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

Winry's fingers raked through Pride's golden mane, her nails digging almost painfully into his scalp, but the homunculus did not relent his assault on her neck. Lick. Lick. Bite. His mouth descended from her neck to her collar bone where he found a particularly delightful spot that he began to suck. His hands skimmed teasingly over the girl's frame, starting at her thighs before lightly ascending to her stomach and then finally to her generous breasts. His nails scraped mercilessly over the sensitive buds that stood erect through the black dress. The sensations were overwhelming and despite her situation, Winry welcomed the warm pressure that settled itself into her stomach.

Moaning, she tried to pull the homunculus closer to her and the static of the action sent Pride's mind reeling through mental pleasure as more memories flitted enticingly across his essence. So close but oh, so far away. Encouraged, Pride's hands ghost down her sides until they found her hips where he held her down and then spread her legs apart as far the dress would allow before firmly pushing his knee into the girl's hidden center. All the while, his mouth moved over her neck, licking and biting and sucking.

Winry gasped and her legs twitched within their confines of the dress at the alien sensation of the firm weight pushing into her. It was so new and foreign but it felt so right. Pride smirked at her reaction and pulled his knee back only to push once more into her. One. Two. Three times he drove into her. Her inexperience was all too apparent. The animal inside of him was pleased with the knowledge that he would be the first to mark her. As if to articulate the thought, he drove harder into her and then grounded his leg repeatedly over her treasure. The pleasure of it all bordered on pain, and Winry whimpered and shut her eyes as the heat within her rose to unbearable heights. Her hips bucked and strained against Pride's unrelenting grip. She was so close...

Looking down at her in a sort of detached and yet still lustful gaze, Pride knew that she was close. She just needed one more push. Leaning down into her ear, he whispered with all the tenderness of a human, "Winry." And that was all it took. Winry's eyes flew open as she was completely blown apart by the waves that rocked stimulating through her. Pride sighed quietly above her as more images flashed behind his eyelids. He had to have more.

Panting heavily, Winry had barely a second to recover before she felt Pride tugging impatiently at the top of her dress. "Wait-" she started only to gasp in shock as her breasts were released from the confines of her attire and exposed to the cool air. Sitting up from the shock of it all, Winry felt her nipples immediately hardened and the action did not go unnoticed by Pride. Pausing momentarily, Pride relinquished his hold on the dress so that the top fell to her stomach.

"This is only the beginning." He whispered heatedly before he once more pushed her onto her back and leaned to capture a pink pebble with his mouth. Sucking experimentally, the homunculus swirled the tender peak with his tongue before lightly grazing it with his teeth while his other hand reached up and gripped the discarded twin. It weighed heavily in his hand and while his mouth continued its ministrations, he began to massage the flesh in his hand. Winry moaned and her eye lids fluttered at the wonderful sensations, as her hands once more dug into her partner's hair. "Come on, show me more," Pride muttered against her flesh in frustrated zeal. The images had abruptly halted and he was becoming annoyed... and unbearably hard. He couldn't wait anymore. Pulling away from her breast, he listened in quiet interest as the girl mewled mournfully at his withdrawal while his hands sought out the bottom hem of the long black dress. Breathing heavily, he pulled the fabric anxiously up the girl's pale legs; lifting it past her knees and pushing it over her thighs until it bunch up, unruly around her middle. The lack of modesty left her completely exposed and Pride was pleased to note that she had not been provided with undergarments.

The vulnerability of it all was too much for Winry. The blond mechanic shut her eyes and bit her lip. Her minds screamed in its insistence that the man before her wasn't Edward... but her heart willed it to be. She wanted him, no… _needed_ him. Her body stirred at the thought and her legs twisted in anticipation of what was to come.

Staring heatedly at her, Pride reached down to his own trousers and fumbled with the fabric until at last his erection was freed. Licking his lips, the homunculus spread the girls' legs as far as they could go. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked in a whisper, enjoying the game of it all, almost willing her to say 'no'. Winry kept her eyes closed tightly as she negatively shook her head.

"Please," she choked out quietly and Pride smirked with satisfaction.

Stroking himself a couple of times, he reaching down to the juncture of her heat and rubbed his excitement between her slick folds. "You're so wet," he commented as he position himself. His one arm wrapped itself around Winry's waist while the other secured her shoulder so that she could not move. Then with an inhuman growl he thrusted hard into the girl, pausing momentarily as he breached her barrier and listened in self satisfaction to her cries of pain - before continuing on until he completely stretched and filled her.

Winry trembled and strained beneath him from the pain. Her arms never left their perch on his shoulders as she held on for dear life. It was too much. "Stop. It hurts," she cried, biting down on her lip. Pride sighed and tightened his grip around her waist. His instincts raged and swarm for him to take her hard and fast – and he would – but for her own human fragility he had to be careful. The blood from his intrusion made her slick, warm passage even hotter and it caused his member twitch and swell.

"The pain will pass," he promised and then slowly withdrew from her warmth - until only the tip of his manhood remained – before slamming back into her. Winry whimpered and Pride instinctively latched onto her shoulder and bit it hard to subdue her. She would never escape him now. Releasing her other shoulder, his hand moved to her hair and grabbed it painfully as he continued his long, hard thrusts. "Look at me," he commanded in a deep, edgy voice. Blearily, Winry's tear filled blue eyes found his own. He needed a trigger – something to make the knowledge come back. He was close to the answers, to the power. He could feel it.

He held her gaze as his hips continued to rock into her warmth, his thrusts quickly losing their long strokes to become more avid in ramming her. Exhaling deeply, Winry forced her eyes to stay focused on Pride's as he repeatedly pounded into her flesh. There was a warm pressure that was building up. He was everywhere inside and the deeper he drove, the closer and stronger the pressure grew. The sound of their bodies smacking both drew her closer and yet made her want to pull away in disgust.

Pride felt that he was close. So close and the light and knowledge he sought was not far away either; but first – the girl. Reaching down to the conjuncture of their union, he found her sensitive bud already slick with her juices; and began to stroke it with his thumb. Up and down and then side to side he teased her before giving the pearl a languid swirl.

The effect was immediate.

Winry's eyes closed and she screamed. "Edward!" As her milky walls contracted and pulled at the thick member inside of her. Pride panted heavily as an ocean of wet heat tightened sloppily over him and pushed him over the edge. "Ohhhh," Winry moaned as her insides dance over his pulsing erection and received a hot jet of his release as he came hard within her. Pride closed his eyes and collapsed on the girl as his seed spilled deeply into her womb. An ocean of light over came him suddenly and he relished in it.

A voice that was distinctly not his, cried out from his very essence. "**_Not Winry... no! What have you done!?"_** Then the images took him away.

_He saw the Alchemist, his human image – Edward Elric – with his brother Alphonse._ _They lived in a small, but happy warm house with a father who wore glasses and a mother with blue eyes._ _Pride watched with some interest as the father eventually abandoned his family in his quest for knowledge and alchemy. Ultimately, it ruined his body and mind._ _The little family was left devastated; especially the mother, who worked twice as hard to fill in the gap of a parent with love and gentleness. The two boys adored her. She was everything to them; but the mother's heart was weak with sickness. When she passed the two boys were desolate._

_The images of their childhood were abruptly cut off with darkness when the two attempted a human transmutation to bring their mother back. It was a taboo and it cost the Alchemist his arm and leg and his brother, Alphonse's whole body. The younger boy was submitted to a decimate existence within a cold, and unfeeling set of armor._ _The homunculus watched as the two boys set off on a journey to find answers and a way to restore themselves. Their journey led them to the military where they both became state alchemist. Unfortunately, with the title came new responsibilities and new enemies._

_Pride watched as the boys became hopelessly entangled in the schemes of the homunculi and their leaders, Dante and Hohenheim, who had dark agendas for both boys. With plans and rumors, the two orchestrated the homunculi to lead the boys to creating the perfect philosopher's stone. However, the stone's paramount importance was too overwhelming to conceal. The homunculi and its leaders became exposed in the process and chased off, while Edward was able to use the stone to successfully restore his brother._ _The scandal led to the destruction of both Dante and the previous homunculus, Pride - Fuhrer King Bradley. Furthermore the Flame Alchemist Roy Mustang as well as the newly reconstructed Alphonse were caught in the crossfire of the confrontation and both became casualties in the military's attempt to apprehend the homunculi and Hohenheim. It was a waste, though. Their enemies escaped._

_Without his brother, Edward was left inconsolable. His heart shut down and his mind went numb. Defeated, he returned home; back to his only remaining ties to humanity. Waiting to greet him was a woman mechanic with beautiful blue eyes and silky, blonde hair..._

Pride gasped as the light abruptly faded from his consciousness. No, he needed more! It was like water raining down on a desert. It was like a large buffet placed out before a starving man. The light completed him. With it came power… and a purpose. Withdrawing abruptly from the warm body below him, Pride watched with disinterest as the now unconscious girl slid off of the bed and slumped unbecomingly onto the floor. She was a mess of sweat and blood and tangled hair. Pride saw no further use for her. She had given him what he had wanted. The light had come back and had showed him so many things. He knew about alchemy and transmutations - in the only way an alchemist could. He knew about his previous, incarnations past and he was for the most part, satisfied. The girl had served her purpose.

Reaching down to pick her up and place her on the bed in a somewhat more reasonable position, he staggered when their skin touched and a small flutter of static sent him back into the echoed rush of light.

_He saw a connection that Alchemist had with the gate. He saw it in the way that the very fabric of their souls connected them to the source of Alchemy. It gave them the power to transmute. He saw that despite his knowledge, he – Pride – had no connection to the gate because he did not have a soul..._

_He saw his homunculus brother, Envy, push Winry against the wall and pin her there. The scene left Pride disgusted and angered and he willed it away but the light continued._ _It showed him Envy __whispering heatedly against Winry's trembling lips while he cupped her chin._

_Outraged, Pride could do nothing as the scene went on in detail to show him Winry feebly attempting to push Envy away as the homunculus snaked an arm around her waist and invaded her mouth with his tongue._

Growling to himself, Pride stumbled back into his awareness. His piercing, amethyst eyes studied the girl at length. _Winry, _his mind repeatedly insisted. Envy had come to see her earlier. Had that been the purpose of his visit, to force himself on her? Was Envy jealous for the girl or was he purposely trying to manipulate Pride through the girl? The golden haired homunculus couldn't be sure. It could very well be both.

Sparing the woman another glance, Pride smirked as he recalled their earlier excursion. He hadn't needed to use force, the girl had been quite willing and respondent under his seduction; and apparently their foray hadn't even been necessary. She alone was the trigger that summoned the light and power he so desperately craved. All he needed was contact with her - still she was pleasing... "I'll keep you always," he croaked out quietly as he withdrew a small knife from his person.

"No one will take you from me," he promised as the knowledge of what he wanted to do whispered into his brain. It wasn't alchemy, but it was very close to it. Leaning over the girl, he began to slice into her skin. The gruesome act and sharpness of the blade made Winry cry out in her sleep, but her apparent exhaustion kept her tightly wrapped in the confines of slumber. "Ssssh…" Pride soothed her as he dragged the blade across her flesh in a diligent ouroboros design. He carved it into the same spot on her left shoulder where his was located. The mark was an exact and detailed replica that any homunculus would have; the only difference being that Winry's faced the right side and opposite direction that the homunculi's were arranged in.

Once he finished, Pride quickly sliced opened his own palm and grabbed her injured shoulder so that their spilled blood pressed and mixed together. Immediately a small blue light discharged from their wounds. When Pride pulled his hand away, he found that both of them had completely healed. Furthermore - Winry's angry, blood red ouroboros had turned a cold, ominous blue. "There will be no escape from this," he told the unconscious girl, before gathering himself up and leaving the room. The door slammed and locked behind him, leaving no trace he had even been in the room at all except for a girl with a broken heart and a bloody mess.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: First I must thank my wonderful beta, chelsea-chee, for being creative, encouraging and so speedy with editing.<strong>

**Second, I had someon ask if they could post a summary up on their site for my story, as long as credit is given please feel free.**

**Lastly, this story is based off of the Original Full Metal Alchemist series as well as Bluebird's Illusion video game, not so much the Brotherhood. In my story, homunculi are created via, failed/incomplete human transmutation. They have no souls of their own and were never human. They were created to look like the humans that they were intended to be but it ends there. PrideEd! is a special case in my story, because Hohenheim specifically added red stones and transmuted them into Pride's body when he created him. Just to clarify. **


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist

"Is this line secure?" Envy spoke in a low tone over the phone. It was somewhat of a redundant question, being that all military phone calls were recorded with built in, state of the art phonograph technology. However, unless there was a reason for it, the records were never search and if all went well, the phonograph was wiped clean the following week to begin anew.

"Yes, the line is secure." Sloth's professional voice responded through the phone. She spoke in a more casual way compared to Envy's hushed whisper which was somewhat ironic considering that it was she that could be in danger of being exposed as the enemy – while Envy was several cities away and in no danger whatsoever.

"Good... It's been a while since we've spoken, Sloth. There's so much that I need to tell you," Envy's voice teased.

"We don't have much time Envy. Ever since Bradley and Dante's exposure – Fuhrer Grumman has had all of the former serving staff under him close watch. Tell me what it is that you want me to do and be quick about it. Any phone calls lasting more than eight minutes are prone to seize and search."

Envy whistled. "They're going all out aren't they?"

"Envy, my orders?" Sloth's voice took on a warning tone. She heard the homunculus sigh on the other end and could almost picture him rolling his eyes.

"Fine… I'll be quick. You're exile is over, Sloth. Hohenheim is dead." Sloth unconsciously straightened at the news.

"What?" She asked in surprise; although underneath her words Envy detected a tone of anguish. Before her exile to Central, Hohenheim and Sloth had had some sort of an arrangement and then falling out. Envy was very curious as to what it all had entailed, but it had all been tight lipped.

"He's dead. The bastard finally went mad and I killed him." Envy boasted.

There was a frigid silence that followed and Envy forced himself to consider the possibility that despite her banishment, Sloth still may have been loyal to their former master. It was unfortunate and normally he would have confronted her… but Central's security was too tight at the moment. No one but senior staff had access to the files that he wanted. The homunculi were already pressed for time and to travel to Central Command just to shape shift and acquire the files was too much of a waste of it. He needed Sloth's cooperation above all else and so changed his tactic. "The man was too far gone. He was weak in his body and lost in his mind. Humans were never meant to _consume_ philosopher stones. The man thought he was a homunculus, for pity's sake. It all ruined him. I had to do to it. He was leading us all down a path towards inhalation. He was starving us."

There was another brief but tense silence.

"You hated him." It was an accusation and Envy's patience grew short. Didn't she say that phone calls lasting more than eight minutes were recorded?

"Return to Ertoghrul, Sloth, and bring the files on alchemist non affiliated with the military," he told her coolly. Sloth raised an eyebrow, knowing that Envy could not see it.

"The alchemist census file for Amestris is vast. It will take several weeks for me to make a complete copy of the files before I can travel," she pointedly reminded him.

"I didn't ask you to make copies, I want the originals!" Envy snapped, all civility gone. He was sure that she was purposely being obstinate. "You have four days... and if you fail to procure the files in the allotted time, then don't bother returning at all," he all but snarled into the phone before hanging up.

Sloth closed her eyes and took in a collective breath as her mind filed away all the information she was given. After a moment she opened her eyes and placed the phone carefully on the hook. Before anything could be accomplished, she needed to pay a visit to the recorded investigation files.

* * *

><p>Envy slammed the phone down in frustration. Lust looked on impassively from her seat on the windowsill. "You didn't tell Sloth to bring the files on the elders of Anayaia. Hohenheim had implied that we are lacking some key ingredients which we have no knowledge of. Any clue to what we need would have been helpful," Lust boldly scolded Envy.<p>

Wrath paused in his rummaging in the chest of sacred objects and stared in open surprise at Lust's audacity. With the supply of nourishment waning, Envy was as of lately incredibly unstable in his existence. One moment he was fine and then the next he was volatile. What made it worse was that Envy was far older than any of his other homunculi brethren and, by far, the most powerful. Lust was playing a dangerous game by provoking him... but the green haired homnculi did not respond to her words. After a moment, Wrath lost interest in the exchange and quickly went back to examining the objects.

"I'm so hungry," Gluttony whined but he was ignored.

"Perhaps I should place the call to Greed," the raven haired woman suggested when nothing further was said. Envy growled low in his throat. He did not like Greed. As if reading his mind Lust reasoned, "We need Greed's cooperation. Hohenheim was the only one who could rein him in and that was only with the promise of the continued manufacture of red stones -"

Envy threw the phone against the wall. "Don't speak about red stones," he threatened. His amethyst eyes glowed with savage hunger and insanity. Lust wisely did not respond. Without an alchemist to transmute them, the homunculi were slowly starving.

"Don't speak of red stones, you say? Why brother, are you hungry?" A familiar voice called. Envy and the other homunculi turned and stared as one as Pride came into the room. There was something distinctly different about him.

"Hmm. He smells like a human," Gluttony spoke, salivating at the thought.

Pride stared back at his proverbial siblings, ignoring Gluttony's statement, arrogance swelling in his violet eyes. Gone was the empty, despondent, lost husk of a homunculus. In its place stood a very avid and aware creature with sharp eyes that promised violence and barely constrained power. The blond came to stop but a foot away from Envy. "Here brother, you must be hungry," Pride cooed and Envy was dumbstruck by the sarcasm laced in his brother's voice. It was as if he was standing in the presence of the Full Metal pipsqueak. It took him a moment to recover.

"Oh my. You sound like a ghost I knew once," he finally sneered. Once more, the green haired homunculus was derailed as he watched Pride cup his hands together while a black and purple glowing circle formed under his feat.

"Impossible," Wrath whispered.

"Is it alchemy!?" Lust demanded. The two homunculi closed in while the red marking on Pride's body pulsed and glowed. In quiet awe, they watched as Pride's empty hands filled to the brim with tiny red stones. Abruptly, the glowing ceased and the black circle vanished.

"What is this? So now can you do alchemy? Was Hohenheim right?" Envy demanded skeptically, but his eyes had zeroed in on the red stones. It was obvious that he was hungry. They all were.

"It's not quite alchemy – not yet – but it's very similar. These are red stones extracted from my own body," Pride told them quietly. Envy grabbed a pinch of stones and examined them in his hand. Wrath was less graceful and started collecting them in his fist while Lust and Gluttony waited impatiently behind him. "That's enough," Pride finally scolded and Wrath immediately withdrew with his handful of stones. Lust took the remaining proportion and divided it evenly with Gluttony.

"At last we can eat!" The behemoth exclaimed and quickly devoured his stones. The rest of the homunculi quickly followed suit and the results were instantaneous. Pride watched in satisfaction as a calm encompassed the room. As long as the other homunculi needed stones – they would need him. The blond relished in the thought of manipulating his siblings.

"How long have you been able to produce stones?" Envy asked after a moment. His voice was once more controlled, if not a bit suspicious.

"Not long," Pride replied, shrugging him off. Lust stared at him in wonder.

"You said it wasn't alchemy – than what was it?" she asked in wonder. Pride did not know.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps alkahestry or intervention beyond the gate? It is unknown."

"Can you do it again?" Envy demanded.

"Yes."

"How can this be? Hohenheim said you had the potential to transmute, but you were created over a year ago and never showed any such abilities prior?" Lust pressed.

"He smells like a human," Gluttony muttered again, this time Pride visibly tensed at the words.

"It's that girl, isn't it? Did you fuck her?" Envy jeered suddenly and it was as if a deep secret had been revealed. Pride sensed his influence over them slipping away as his vulnerability was made known. He wasn't all perfect and complete in his power. He still had a very real weak spot – Winry – and now the other homunculi were sure to pick up on it. Wrath cocked his head curiously as he absorbed Envy's question. Lust frowned and Gluttony started sniffing the air.

"I do smell her," Gluttony commented once more. He grinned.

"No harm is to come to the girl. She was invaluable to regaining the knowledge necessary to perform alchemy," Pride insisted. The thought of her beneath him and the pleasure that came with the light as it flooded his being was intoxicating and even now he wanted more. It had been everything that he had hoped for and even better it seemed that during their intimacy not once did the light try to posses and erase him as it had the very first time.

"Yes, she _was –_ but now that you've apparently ascended the nature of a soulless homunculi and gained access to the Gate – she's obviously no longer needed. Why don't I take her off your _hands_," Envy baited. Pride felt the first stirrings of panic rise within him, though he kept his face neutral. He knew Envy's game.

"I said I was close, but still unable to properly perform a transmutation. The girl is still needed," he all but growled, trying to maintain his composure.

Envy frowned and was about to say more, but Lust stepped between them. "Pride has made his point – as of now the girl is indisposed. This is not the time to bicker over a lowly human; we have work to do," she pointed out. Envy sighed and shrugged out of his aggressive pose. Pride frowned and crossed his arms.

"As we speak, Sloth is gathering information on potential alchemist we can use to activate the objects; she'll be here in four days time. Without Hohenheim, we have no alchemist at our current disposal," Lust continued, eying each homunculus. Envy nodded in agreement. "The files in Central on the sacred objects and elders of Anayaia have very little to offer us. I suggest we send someone in to the country and take what we need. Surely if we abduct one of the elders and interrogate them, we will find out all that we need to know." At this, Envy turned and made eye contact with Pride.

"Brother, I suggest you carry out this task." Envy's voice was very authoritative and left no room for argument. Pride bristled.

"You just want to have me removed so that you can obtain what is mine."

Envy smirked. "On the contrary, this is absolutely necessary. The Anayaian's claim to be descendants of the Xerxian race and with their Nordic features, you'll fit in well," Lust added and gestured towards Pride's golden hair.

"Why can't Envy go, have his shifting abilities become obsolete?" Pride jabbed.

"Don't be petulant brother; I'll be recruiting our alchemist once Sloth returns," Envy baited, enjoying Pride's peevish tantrum. They both knew that with Pride out of the way, Winry would be left vulnerable and helpless. As if reading his mind Envy could not help but taunt, "Don't worry Pride. I'll keep the bitch safe." And then Envy was against the wall with Pride's hand wrapped tightly around his neck. Everything had happened so quickly!

"Winry. Is. Not. A. Bitch," The blond homunculus enunciated slowly. Then at once a blinding light sprung forth underneath Pride's eyelids. It pushed and pushed at his mind and ground his consciousness into practically nothing. Too late did he realize what was happening; he was becoming possessed!

Oblivious to Pride's inner turmoil, Envy smirked back at him challengingly, but remained silent and yielding in his brother's grip. Abruptly, Pride released Envy and doubled over into a coughing fit. The other homunculi watched in interest as the blond gasped for air and then vomited up several pints of blood. No one made a move to assist. Once Pride had regained his bearings, he quickly fled the room. "What's the hurry?" Envy shouted in glee. Lust frowned.

"You should not provoke Pride in such a way. His skills are fundamental to our survival," she scolded. Envy's eyes narrowed.

"When he had me by the neck, I saw his eyes turn to gold." Lust paused at his words, speechless.

"That wasn't Pride."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry this chapter took so long to post. As most of you know by now, this is a re post of my original story and some of these chapters are out of order and heavily revamped. This chapter is actually a reedited and combined version of the original chapters 4 and 8. The reason I mixed them together was for one, to make the chapter longer than just three pages each and two, to help better explain things in the plot that I originally omitted... One of the reviewers I had for the last chapter questioned the seemingly easy death of Hoehenheim; and while it isn't really explained in this story I do have a one shot I wrote but haven't posted yet that better explains Hohenheim's slow descent into madness as well as his history and romance with Sloth. At some point later this year, I'll post it. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. On a final note, I just want to thank my beta, chelsea-chee who I will always be grateful to for the continued editing support and input.**


	8. Chapter 8

Dislcaimer: I don't own FMA

"Get out of my head! You no longer exist!" Pride growled as he gripped his head desperately. He had miscalculated. The light – which he was beginning to suspect was the essence of the human he resembled – was very quickly over coming him. The blond homunculus barely made it to the sanctuary of his quarters before he collapsed under the mental strain of another presence in his mind.

Images began to flash before him as soon as Pride closed his eyes.

"_Now that Pride and Dante have been destroyed – we need another homunculus. Father, what alchemist should we use? Hmm? What poor idiot will we manipulate into performing the forbidden human transmutation?" Envy asked._

"_There will be no other alchemist. I will perform the human transmutation myself." Hohenheim remarked. The two walked undetected through the streets of Central, as if they were invisible. Envy's brow furrowed at the odd statement._

"_Is this a special occasion? I don't understand. What difference does it make? Any Alchemist can create the proper foundations for a homunculus." Envy sneered, his frustrated confusion apparent._

"_It makes all the difference. The new Pride will be different, set apart. With the proper ingredients, this new creature will surpass that of homunculi and humans. It will bridge the gap between this world and the heavens."_

_Envy spared his master a disbelieving look. Finally he asked,_

"_What ingredients do you need?"_

_Hohenheim gestured to a familiar human male wearing a military jacket._

"_Him!? Is this some sort of joke?"_

"_I assure you this is nothing of the kind. Bring me the body of the Full Metal Alchemist. Through him we will create the new Pride."_

_Pride covered his eyes and tried to will away the images. In the strange, dark recesses of his mind it was much easier to distinct his individual mind from the light. With an inhuman snarl, he visualized the invader and fashioned a corporeal vessel for it. Streams of light streamed slowly from his forehead into a shape that quickly took form. First it was a glowing outline and then quickly the mass within formed bone then muscle sinew. Finally skin, hair and clothing simultaneously spread throughout the figure until at last it was easily recognized as Edward Elric._

"_You!" The alchemist exclaimed as soon as he was able to speak._

"_You will never be free. Just give in and surrender!" Pride hissed and grabbed the alchemist by the scruff of his shirt._

"_You need me. All your powers and link to the gate are from me." Edward told him arrogantly. The identical men stood in a dark circular room, seemingly unaware of their surroundings. Thousands of pairs of eyes surrounded them and created the walls that lined the room. Below their feet, a dark purple alchemic circle pulsed with light. Blue lightning whisked dangerously above their heads and thunder boomed ominously in the distance._

"_You'll never be rid of me. I'm inside of you." Ed continued smugly as the homunculus stared menacingly at him._

_Unbeknownst to the two, a third party stood off in the distance watching._

"_Edward!" Winry tried to shout, only to be dismayed when she realized that her voice was muted by some unknown force. She tried again._

"_Ed please, I'm right here!"_

_Neither Pride or Edward heard her._

"_You're the reason I can't use Alchemy – you're blocking my ability!" The homunculus snarled. Edward punched the doppelganger in the mouth and Pride released him._

"_You're a monster, you'll ruin everything." The Full Metal Alchemist told him resolutely as he put a few steps between them. Winry tried to run towards Ed but as soon as she took a step - lightning struck the ground in front of her._

"_Please, see me. Ed!" The mechanic cried but to no avail. She tried to slide sideways along the wall, but once again lightning struck the ground where she intended to move. Frustrated, Winry could do nothing but watch as the scene unfolded before her eyes._

"_Stop interfering! You're a dead thing now. This is my life."_

"_No!" Ed insisted and then tackled Pride to the ground. A wave of dizziness swept over Winry as she watched the alchemist grab his adversary by the neck and begin to choke the life out of him._

"_I won't let you hurt anyone else." Edward promised. Pride smiled underneath him._

"_Oh, but I already have – or have you forgotten about your sweet little girl friend? Winry was it?" The homunculus prodded. Before Edward could respond, if he had intended to, Pride ran him cleanly through with his hand._

"_Edward!" Winry choked out but no one heard her. The blond in question gasped painfully as a gurgle of blood erupted from his mouth. A sick, squeezing, watery sound emitted from his chest as his doppelgangers hand slowly withdrew from the wound._

"_I'll save her." Edward whispered. Pride sneered._

"_She doesn't need saving. She went to me willingly and became my slave. To think, you wasted all those years - so carefully dancing around your attraction to each other and yet a day in my presence has her spreading her legs for me."_

_Edward's face crumbled in shock and pain at the truth of Pride's words._

"_No. No. No!" Winry cried in despair as her knees buckled beneath her. Her heart hurt from Pride's words and her soul shriveled from the weight of sin from her own actions. She was despicable. She had hurt Edward. She had defiled herself._

_Taking a deep breath, Winry let out a shrill, blood curdling scream._

"_EDWARD!'_

_As she screamed, lightning struck her. The dark room and the two blonds disappeared._

Gasping,Winry shot up from the bed she had been lying on. The last remnants of her strange dream, dissolved quickly into her subconscious.

The room was vaguely dark and empty. Shivering, she frowned in dismay when she saw her ruined dress, bunched around her waist in the manner of a giant band or belt which left her top half and bottom half completely exposed. Shifting amongst the disarrayed sheets, she awkwardly went about redressing herself. It wasn't very pleasant. Her body was stiff from the awkward angle she had fallen asleep in and sore from her previous carnal acts...

Winry shivered again, but for an entirely different reason. The severity of her loose actions slowly began to dawn over her conscience as she carefully studied her body.

Her thighs were coated in dry blood and her bottom lip was scabbing over from the abuse it had sustained. Her hair was in several knots and her stomach clenched painfully when she felt more blood dried in it. Her neck and and chest were peppered with severe discolored hickeys and several finger and hand sized bruises decorated her arms and waist. Trembling, Winry found more blood beneath her nails.

It had been her first time with a man and words alone failed to describe how despicable and wretched it had been. Unbidden, tears began to flood her eyes and stream down her cheeks. She felt so dirty. Her first time was suppose to be special and cherished and saved for the chosen one of her heart.

The image of an automail hand's fingers laced through her own flashed through her mind. She couldn't bring herself to think his name.

Winry's lips trembled dangerously as she fought off hysterics.

There were no delusions in her mind now that the man she had given her heart to and the one she had given her body to, were two very different people. Their physical appearances were strikingly familiar, but that was where the resemblance ended. Winry recalled with disgust the way Pride had looked at her amidst their passion. His eyes were casually cruel as he stared her down with distant possessiveness. She then recalled the way Edward had always looked at her with tenderness and care and hidden affection. There really was no comparison between the two.

Edward was the embodiment of life and light. Pride was the incarnation of death and sin.

Winry felt all the more ashamed by the fact that the homunculus stood for everything that Ed opposed. To have surrendered to her baser instincts and allowed that thing to touch her... she had not only betrayed Edward, but had insulted his very memory. Her heart trembled from onslaught of desperate pain she felt.

"Oh Edward, please forgive me." She whimpered.

Sobbing quietly on the bed, she wrapped her arms around herself.

It was only then, when her hand came upon her shoulder that she felt something pulse beneath her touch. Surprised by the sensation, the blond quickly withdrew her hand. Arching her shoulder for better inspection, Winry gasped when she saw the blue ouroborus on her skin. It was a dark blue and it felt slightly colder to the touch when compared to the rest of her body.

The sudden conclusion to its purpose wormed its way into her head. It was a mark of ownership. She was nothing but cattle that had been branded for her master.

A cold shiver of disgust raked down her spine.

Slowly, she brushed her fingers back over the design. It was in that moment that she became aware of an intelligent presence whispering at the edge of her consciousness. It was cold and dark and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. It was awful in the sensation of something sinister and despairing that had taken root in her mind - or rather fixated on her soul. There was a black hole inside of her now and it knew her intimately and left her reeling in vulnerability.

"_That's right girl. You cannot hide." _It whispered against her heart as if acknowledging her discovery of it. The voice sounded distinctly like Edw- Pride.

Horrified, Winry couldn't think to fight the bile that quickly rose in her throat and quickly dispensed from her her mouth and onto the floor. There was nothing substantial in her stomach and so what little did come up was completely acidic. The taste was foul and it burned her throat. She welcomed the pungent distraction. Her mind shied away from the presence until it once more became vague and distant. However, the scar still remained. Her fingers once again ran over the ouroborus and Winry bitterly wept.

She had brought it upon herself. Her heart hurt as it bled and crumbled from her actions; but her mind was still sharp and alert and insisting that she pull herself together and escape.

Wiping away her tears, she grabbed the sheet beneath her and wrapped it around herself. It was warmer than the tattered dress she wore and she felt much more secure in its covering. She didn't want to attract the attention of anyone else.

"There are monsters everywhere." She whispered and then quietly made her way to the door. It was locked. Biting her lip thoughtfully, Winry scrutinized her resources. Her tools had been left on the train when she had been abducted, and the utilities on her belt had been confiscated as well as the rest of her clothing when they had dressed her in the black gown. There was nothing -

Winry's eyes widened when she thought of her earrings. Were they still intact? Her hands went to her ears and she was relieved to discover that all of her piercings had been left untouched. They were all metal... and they would all serve nicely as lock pick. Normally such a feat would be impossible, but she was a master mechanic. She could do it. It would just take a little bit of time.

* * *

><p>"You wanted to see me sir?" Colonel Riza Hawkeye saluted.<p>

"Ah yes, come in my dear." Fuhrer Grumman ordered as he stood up from behind his desk.

Relaxing her pose, Riza slowly made her way into the formal office. She looked somewhat on edge.

"Have a seat, please. There's no need to stand on ceremony." Grumman smiled warmly at the pun, hoping to relax granddaughter. Riza stiffly took a seat in the chair offered in front of the desk while Grumman made his way back to his original position.

A moment of heavy silence slowly encompassed the office.

"Well then..." Grumman began. Riza fidgeted slightly.

"As you may have been aware, the convoy of visitors from Anayaia were destroyed."

"I understand Sir and take full responsibilities for the failure of my men." Riza bowed her head. Giving her a quizzical look, Grumman took off his glasses.

"I don't think you understand, Colonel-"

"I understand perfectly, sir. It was my platoon of soldiers that had been assigned to the train as escorts and protection for the ambassadors. They quite obviously fell short in their duties and allowed the enemy to gain access to our militia's uniforms. As their superior officer, I am prepared to accept the consequences of their failure and liabilities." Riza bowed her head. Grumman waved her off.

"The military cannot afford to dismiss anyone. We've already lost enough soldiers in the tragic wars of recent years. Riza, I haven't summoned you here for court martial. I've summoned you here to brief you on your new assignment." Riza blinked at her grandfather's words, shocked into silence.

"You along with your serving officers, as well as General Frick are being reassigned to the East. Someone is very intent to lead us back into the chaos of war. Our peace talks with the Anayaians have become strained with the loss of the ambassadors, but ultimately they are willing to over look it as long as the ambassadors' possessions that were on that train are returned to them.

"It's unfortunate and rather strange, but the passenger log and luggage invoice containing the information on the possessions has mysteriously vanished from our files. As of right now the only thing the Council of Anayaian elders would say on the subject was that the 'holy' objects were made of pure gold and no bigger than the size of man's head." Grumman finished in a low voice. Riza frowned.

"That is incredibly vague."

"They were not very cooperative with the description or purpose of such objects." Grumman agreed. "Still, in order to keep the peace we must cooperate."

Riza shook her head confused.

"I don't understand how retrieving the objects has to do with my reassignment to the Eastern Headquarters. We have ambassadors of our own to manage the peace talks with the Anayaians. If my team is to search for the holy objects, then wouldn't it be more prudent to start in Rush Valley? As I recall from the initial report, the train was a day short of reaching the city when the incident occurred." Riza rationalized. Grumman smiled, proud of his granddaughter's reasoning. Reaching into his desk, the Fuhrer pulled out a series of photographs.

"You are an intelligent woman, Riza and you do our family proud. In truth I didn't want you assigned to the East, because of the danger but officers of your competence are becoming harder and harder to come by." Reaching across the desk, he handed the photographs to the colonel.

"These are photographs of the remains of the train, taken a day after the initial attack. If you look at the last one, you will see two sets of foot prints leading away from the train, heading towards the east." Grumman explained. Riza looked up sharply.

"The terrorists?"

Her grandfather nodded.

"The crew's log has been confirmed. There were two of them."

Riza's face paled as she recalled the unconfirmed rumor that in the log, one of the terrorists was mentioned to resemble Edward Elric.

"Was there anything else in the log?" She asked quietly. Her grandfather studied her in silence.

"Yes, but that information is still restricted. Until further development - only the necessary parties have access to it." Riza frowned. "Regular correspondence is required. Don't worry, we will always keep you updated." Grumman assured her, not unkindly. Riza nodded and stood.

"I understand sir."

It was apparent that the military didn't want Riza and her team to know about the sudden reappearance of the supposed Edward Elric or his green haired companion, the homunculus. It led her to the uneasy conclusion that her superiors expected her to fail and fall prey to an enemy that - had she not learned of the crew log in advance – her team would have vastly underestimated. It was puzzling.

"Have a safe journey." Grumman bid.

"Thank you sir." The colonel saluted and then turned and left.

Gruman stared solemnly at the door and after a moment quietly spoke to the shadows.

"I dislike the idea of using them as bait. This is an incredibly great risk. I'm trusting you with her care. The last officers that crossed paths with the homunculi led to their untimely demise. The military still suffers from the loss of Maes Hughes, Roy Mustang and Alphonse Elric."

General Horan Frick slowly came forward.

"She'll be safe with me. Soon, the homunculi will have to no where left to run."

Grumman nodded, pleased.

"The new law is being passed by parliament as we speak. Anyone bearing the mark of the ouroborus is to be considered a dangerous enemy to the state and is to be destroyed on sight by any means necessary."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Someone asked me in the last chapter if Pride cared for Winry as much as Edward did. The answer is no. Pride is a homunculus. He's very dark and manipulative. Edward was controlling his actions when he defended Winry when Envy insulted her. Pride has only allowed Winry to continue living thus far because she is of some use to him. He doesn't see her as anything more than a tool.**

**On a different note, I'd like to thank jaclynkaileigh for stepping up and reviewing and editing this chapter while my beta is away. She's so awesome (=^^=)  
><strong>


End file.
